Combined locking apparatus for the distributing switches of electriclighting installations of motor cars



BOHL! March 4 1924i;

THE DISTRIBUTING SWITCHES GF' STALLATONS GF MGTOR GRS Patented Mar. 4,1924.

UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE.-k

JACQUES BOHLI, 0F SOLOTHURN, SWITZERLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 THE SCINTILLA, OFSOLOTHURN, SWITZERLAND.

COMBINED LOCKING APPARATUS FOR THEDISTRIBUTING'SWITCHES 0F ELECTRIC-IONS 0F MOTOR CARS.

Application led July 12, 1922. Serial No. 574,518.

To all whom 'it may conce/m:

Be it known that I, JACQUES Bonini, a citizen of the Swiss Republic, andresiding at No. 304 Obach, Solothurn, Switzerland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvenients in Combined Locking Apparatus for theDistributing Switches of Electric-Lighting Installations of Motor Cars,of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved combinedlocking apparatus for the distributing switch of electric lightinginstallations such as are employed in motor-cars.

As a rule such distributing switchescomprise two main actuating members,namely a first member for distributing the current to the variousconsuming devices, and a second member for actuating the starter. Eachof these said members has its own locking apparatus which is separatefrom the locking a paratus for the other member. Frequent y one of theselocking apparatus is also Vutilised to eiiect the cutting out of theignition. This use of the locking apparatus is attended by the drawbackthat its position for cutting out can only be the one terminal positionin which the locking is effected. In this manner it is not possible',for instance during a night journey, to lock a lighting apparatus in adetermined position, because this would necessitate also cuttin out theignition apparatus and stopt ping t e car engine at the same time.

4 It has been proposed (see Swiss Patent No. G. 13826 to the firmScintilla) to construct a combined lockingapparatus in which the lockingmember may be moved into three positions: when it is in one terminalpositiony the lighting control switch and the switch for cutting out theignition apparatus are both locked; in its other terminal position itoperates the starter and releases both the above-mentioned switches, andin its mid position it releases the iighting control switch and theignition cut-out switch so as to leave them free 'lor opeiation, whileat the same time it cuts out the starter.

The resent invention resides in improvements in the foregoingthree-position type of combined locking apparatus, wherein a lockingpawl is be capable of roeling and biased so as to employed mounted so asto tend to take u a locking position for the purpose of hol ing thecut-out switch of the ignition apparatus in a position which preventsignition, that is a non-operative position, when the locking member ofthe lightdistributing switch is situated in its midposition. Thislocking pawl is arranged to be forced aside when the cut-outswitch 1s alight-distributing switch and a locking pawl for the cut-out switch ofthe ignition apparatus:

igure 1 shows the apparatus held b the opera-ting key in the lockedposition wit the cut-out switch ofl the ignition apparatus llocked inthe non-operative position;

Figure 2 shows the apparatus held by the o erating key in the unlockedposition with t e cut-out switch of the ignition apparatus locked in itsnon-operative position;

Figure 3 shows the apparatus held by the operating key in the startingposition, in which the cut-out switch of the ignition apparatus has beencompletely released and the starting motor circuit completed.

In the drawings the ignition cut-out switch c which can rock on the ivotw can be opened and closed as desired by hand so long as the lockingmember a is not situated in the locking terminal position, shown inFigure 1. Whenit is moved into its non-operative position it is lockedby the locking pawl s which is pivoted at o and is held in its lockingposition against the stop y by a spring t. lighting control switch b andthe locking member a are all hand operated, the latter by the key g.

AOn applying increased pressure in the direction of the tension of itsspring g the The switch c, thev cut-out switch c. can be moved out ofits nonoperative position into the operative position shown in Figure.3, and vice versa. By applying pressure in the opposite direction thesaid switch c can be movedont of the operative position into thenon-operative position. In each case the pawl sis forced aside in-cpposition to the vaction of its spring 2.

Qn the upper end of the locking member a there is located a pin u whichengages the end of the locking pawl s. If now, by means of the key g,`which is capable of locking the system in any of the three positionsillustrated, the locking member a be brought into the terminal positionshown in Figure 3, in which the switch magnet o receives current throughthe contacts d and f and closes the switch p and thereby brings thestarting motor into operation, t e pin u will move the locking pawl salong with it and lift it oft the cut-out 'switch c so that the latteris freed from the locking action and is moved automatically by theaction of the spring g from the non-operative position into theoperative position.

r is a spring provided for the purpose of automatically returning thelocking member a into the mid-positlon shown in Figure 2. This .springacts upon a lever .e which is arranged to ce rotated so as to bearagainst the locking member a and to be returned by said spring into a.(position which is determined by a stop an which corresponds to the midposition.

In this position the contacts d and e are connected together and therebythe pilot lamp m is lighted. The lighting up of this lamp shows whetherthe automatic switch It (for connecting the battery Z with the dynamo isimmediately the latter has attained the requisite voltage) has brokenthis connection immediately the voltage of the dynamo has drop ed belowthe voltage of the battery, in or er to prevent an unintentionaldischarge of the battery through the dynamo.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patentiszl. A combined locking apparatus for thedistributing switches of electrical installations for motor-cars,including a. lighting control switch, a biased ignition switch, amovable locking member capable of resting in three positions, viz, alocking position,

an unlocking mid-position and a terminal position for switching in astartin motor, a biased pivoted locking pawl, and a projection on saidlocking member coacting with part of said pawl, said locking pawltending to hold said ignition switch in a. non-operative position whensaid movable locking member rests in its mid-position and being forcedaside when said ignition switch is moved over by external pressure, saidlocking pawl being carried alon by the said projection on said movablelocing member and freeing said ignition switch immediately said movablelocking member is brought into its third or terminal position forstarting' said ignition switch when freed being move automatically byits own bias from the non-operative into the operative position.

2. A combined locking apparatus for the distributing switches forelectrical installations for motor-cars as claimed in claim 1,

including a spring tending to return the movable locking member from theterminal starting position into its mid-position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JACQUES BOHLI.

